2009: The Year in Numbers

A brief overview of our work in 2009:

• 45,777: Dollars raised.
• 3,000: Amount of largest gift.
• 1: Amount of smallest gift.
• 249: Number of donors.
• 199: Days since Reach was incorporated in the District of Columbia.
• 3: Articles published about Reach, Inc.
• 8: Corporations that have given.
• 3: Foundations that have given.
• 2: Board meetings.
• 4: Board meetings scheduled for 2010.
• 5: Key components of elementary school literacy.
• 14: Percentage of DC Public School students that read at grade level.
• 5,952: Dollars raised online through Razoo.
• 6: Trainings attended at the Foundation Center.
• 6: Fundraising events.
• 5: Elementary schools visited.
• 3: Grant applications submitted.
• 19: Members of the inaugural Founder's Circle (those that have given $1,000+).
• 46: Formal meetings with teachers, nonprofit administrators, and funding reps.
• 10,618: Net assets being carried forward to 2010.
• 1,206: E-mails sent.
• 1,004: E-mails received.
• 2: Invitations to submit grant applications in FY2010.
• 1: E-mails exchanged with Chancellor Rhee.
• 3: Contributions given as gifts.
• 1: Weddings where a donation to Reach, Inc. was made in lieu of favors.
• 2: Iterations of Reach, Inc.'s website.
• 50: Blog entries.
• 3: Current Board members.
• 9: Ideal Board size by the end of 2010.
• 3: Lawyers who helped Reach, Inc. secure 501(c)(3) status.
• 6: Weeks it took to be granted 501(c)(3) status.
• 17: Research papers read about literacy development.
• 366: Reach, Inc. fans on Facebook.
  

Thanks so much for reading! My best wishes for a Happy New Year, and I look forward to sharing our progress with you in 2010.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

A Little Break...

As a holiday gift to myself, I am going to take a short break from the blog. In the coming week, I'll be working hard on tying up loose ends for 2009 while planning for our exciting 2010. I look forward to providing a summary of our success in 2009 when I return to writing on Thursday, December 31st.

Enjoy the rest of 2009! I'll look forward to sharing our journey with you as we enter 2010!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

A Quick Note

This week, a new research study was summarized in an article in the LA Times:

It's not surprising that an intensive six-month training program for children with poor reading skills improves their performance, as a new study has demonstrated. The unexpected finding is that the skills program actually spurred brain changes that could be the underpinnings for the children's progress.

The malleability of the brain extends well into adolescence. Reach's work will not only produce improved literacy, but it will help to develop the brain connections necessary for future learning. We can, and will, do so much better for our high school students.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

The Why.

Reach, Inc. began as an idea almost six years ago as part of an independent study at Duke University. Now, less than a year away from program launch, it still feels so far away at times. However, during  a visit to Wheatley Elementary School, I was able to experience, once again, why I'm doing this work. 

I was in a 3rd grade classroom, observing a lesson on cause and effect. The teacher was struggling to lead a class that included at least three students presenting significant behavioral concerns. Students were broken into groups of two to work on an activity. Each group was given five or six "causes" and the same number of "effects." Their mission: to match the clauses in a way that made sense.

As is my tendency, I found myself working with the two of the students who had been causing trouble. They were not quick to begin the task, and they looked quite confused by the stranger offering to help. Grabbing one of the "causes," I read it aloud: The electricity in the house went out. I asked the two boys what might happen when the electricity went out. One of them answered quickly, "you wouldn't be able to see anything." Lo and behold, the other one grabbed one of the "effects" that said: no one could see a thing. 

With that, they were off. I stepped back, watched them complete the rest of the pairs, and marveled as they wrote down the completed sentence as instructed. With some individual assistance and a little push, these kids were off and running. The teacher walked over to check on their progress. Noting that they were almost finished, she looked at me. I smiled, and she just shook her head. I can't wait until October.

A Great First Event...

A big thank you to everyone that came out to Libations for Literacy on Tuesday night at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. On a rainy night, we had almost 75 guests and raised over $1,500. I am grateful to all those that attended and to those that donated even if they weren't able to attend. In addition to all of you, several others made the event a success. First, Cleveland Park Bar & Grill made the whole event possible through generously donating the space for the event. Additionally, we were able to give away door prizes to four lucky attendees. We received generous donations from three different sources: Meredith Miller provided a $50 gift card to J.Crew, Owen Biddle provided two pairs of tickets to see The Roots, and Weygandt Wines provided a $50 gift certificate. The lucky winners are listed below:

• Lisa Marcus won the $50 gift certificate to Weygandt Wines.
• Kim Daulton won two tickets to see The Roots at the 9:30 Club on December 29th.
• Josh Friedman won two tickets to see The Roots at the 9:30 Club on December 30th.
• Martin Ditto won a $50 gift card to J.Crew.

We are hugely appreciative to all the donors that provided these door prizes and were pleased to award them to attendees of Tuesday's event.

The Reach family continues to grow as we move closer to program launch in the fall of 2010. Obviously, I can't do this all alone, so it's exciting to continue meeting people that will help Reach become reality. With each day, I learn more about literacy, and I become more confident in the organization's ability to provide a new opportunity for teens that have experienced previous failure. Inaction is not an option, and Reach, Inc. will facilitate the capacity and the motivation necessary to dramatically improve reading outcomes across ages. On Tuesday night, when I looked up and saw a room full of people supporting this new organization, I felt, once again, that we're well on our way.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President  - Reach, Inc.

A Day (And a Half) In The Life...

I'm currently in the middle of a 36 hour stretch that I think effectively encapsulates my experience being the leader of this brand new organization.

Monday, December 7th:

10am: Meeting with Professor Peter Edelman to discuss reconnecting disengaged youth, from a policy perspective.

12pm: Return home. Send a thank you note to The MB & Edna Zale Foundation for the discretionary grant Reach, Inc. just received.

1pm: Send e-mails and make phone calls to set up appointments/discussions with nonprofit and educational leaders. Successfully schedule meetings with representatives from FLOC, City Year, and Sidwell Friends.

2pm: Work on grant proposal for The Crowell & Moring Foundation until the end of the day.

8pm: Write blog about today and tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 8th:

8am: Spend the morning observing literacy instruction at Wheatley Elementary School in DC's Trinidad neighborhood.

12pm: Continue work on Crowell & Moring grant.

4pm: Final preparations for Reach's first DC event - Libations for Literacy. Finalize sign in process, confirm door prizes, get change, and get to Cleveland Park.

6pm: Libations for Literacy! Come out for a drink and to support Reach, Inc.

10pm: Close down the event, count the funds raised, and get some sleep before getting back to work on Wednesday morning.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Building a Board

As Reach, Inc. moves from the start-up stage toward a more sustainable organization, Board development will be an incredibly important aspect of our work. This week, I had the great opportunity to begin thinking about how we will approach this work. To incorporate, a nonprofit organization is required to have three members of a formal Board of Directors. Our Board has been both helpful and supportive through the first six months of formal operations. Often, founding Boards do little more than approve the plans of the organization's founder. I often tell, with pride, the story of Reach, Inc.'s first Board meeting. The Board's first act was to cut the salary I had initially proposed. From the beginning, despite my close friendships with the founding Board members, they saw that the organization was more important than any one person.

From that time, these individuals have continued to support our work in important ways. As we work to build a strong Board, I feel it important that we build on our current strength. Our founding members will serve a vital role as we grow into the future. There are a number of factors at play as we look to recruit new Board members.

• Skill set: There are specific skills that would be extremely helpful as Reach, Inc. grows. Specifically, we will actively seek people that have backgrounds in law, finance, nonprofit management, marketing, and government relations.
• Money: I often get advice that it's imperative that I get Board members that can make significant contributions to the organization. While I don't see this as the most important factor in an invitation to join the Board, I have come to understand that it matters.
• Diversity: It's so important to me that Reach, Inc.'s Board represents a diverse set of individuals. Not only do we want diverse skill sets, but we want diversity with respect to race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual preference, and all the other good stuff.

Finally, it is becoming increasingly clear that other voices need to be involved in the development of Reach, Inc.'s Board. Clearly, to effectively operate, the Board can not be made up entirely of "Mark's friends." Our Board must demonstrate loyalty to the organization, not me. They must be willing to evaluate me, challenge me, and push me to think in new ways. Moving forward, I look forward to finding the right partners to help me create the Board that Reach, Inc. deserves. It's both daunting and exciting.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

PS - Purchase your entry for Libations for Literacy, Reach, Inc.'s first public event!

A Little Bit of Everything

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

While I hope you all got to relax, I spent much of my holiday weekend working on my application for the Echoing Green fellowship. The application is almost complete, and I'm proud of the way I've been able to represent myself and Reach, Inc. While I work toward my own entrepreneurial goals, I will have the opportunity to talk with some people that have successfully gotten organizations off the ground. I look forward to conversations with Matthew Wheelock of Live It Learn It and Greg McCoy of The Sunflower County Freedom Project. 

Additionally, I've chosen to pursue a more formal mentorship arrangement to assist with some of the pressures of organizational leadership. While I have great friends that do their best to support my work, the reality is that it's tough to have some discussions with those that haven't done this kind of work. Entrepreneurship and nonprofit leadership bring their own challenges, so I hope a mentor will help me to talk through some challenges. I have a lunch scheduled this week to discuss this possibility with one individual, and I hope to begin regular conversations - similar to the supervision relationship in social work - in the near future.

Also, two Reach supporters sent interesting links about strengths-based work being done elsewhere, so I thought I would pass the stories alone. One man chose to address gang violence and poor education in the Philippines by enlisting teens as teachers (Brilliant!). Closer to home, I'm encouraging all of you to buy your books at More Than Words Bookshop - available in Waltham, Mass or online.

Finally, don't forget to get your tickets for Reach's first DC event: Libations for Literacy. By purchasing your tickets prior to the event, you can save $5 and give Reach, Inc. a better turnout prediction. We hope to see you next Tuesday!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Quick Hits

• I had the wonderful opportunity to share lunch today with Bruce Stewart, the former Head of School at Sidwell Friends. Bruce has a wealth of experience, and I was please that I was able to spend some time with him. We spoke about the "tragedy" that is the DC Public School System, and I very much enjoyed the conversation.
  
• Bruce is also on the Board of an organization called Fight for Children that supports efforts to improve public education in the District of Columbia. I'm excited about learning more about this organization while exploring the possibility of future partnerships with Reach.
• Bruce, during our conversation, also mentioned that some of his comments were presented on Meet the Press on Sunday, November 15th. The show's panel including Rev. Al Sharpton, Newt Gingrich, and Secretary Arne Duncan. The discussion of education begins around minute 22, and Bruce's comments are heard around minute 37. 
• Don't forget about Reach's happy hour event on Tuesday, December 8th from 6 - 10pm at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. You can find more information, and make the suggested donation, here. 

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Gaining Credibility?

Gaining credibility in the nonprofit world is a fascinating process. While I am constantly learning, and the model is always getting better, there is little substantive difference between the Reach model now and the model as it stood last week. However, our fundraising success in the past week makes us suddenly more legitimate as an organization. When it rains, it pours. Building on our success from the last seven days, we look forward to moving forward to gather the resources necessary to make Reach a reality.

While money is a key ingredient, credibility carries just as much weight for a social entrepreneur. There are a number of ways to gain credibility. Some work hard to get big names involved through Board or Advisory Board membership. Others find that an intense marketing campaign is necessary. Our approach has been to pursue legitimacy through ongoing conversations with key stakeholders. By speaking to and learning from teachers, potential funders, and nonprofit professionals, we are discussing the model in a way that gets people excited about Reach's potential.

One increasingly common way to gain credibility for a new organization - or its leader - is through competitions or fellowships. Many may have noticed that Reach won Harvard's 2009 Educational Enterprise Innovation Competition. We make this evident on all our materials, because it says to the reader that someone who, in theory, knows something about entrepreneurship thought that Reach was a good idea. In the coming months, we will likely pursue two other opportunities to gain credibility.

• Currently, I'm working on the fellowship application for Echoing Green. This organization provides funding and support for promising social entrepreneurs. While I clearly would like to be selected, I am also enjoying the application process. It really forces a leader to think about the problem, the proposed solution, the connection between those two things, and your personal dedication to the work. I know myself, and Reach, better for having worked through this application.
• Additionally, I received an e-mail today encouraging me to explore a new business plan competition sponsored by the Milken Family Foundation and The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. This competition will force Reach to focus on realistic financial models and growth strategies, both key factors in organizational success. 

Through the processes involved in applying for fellowships and competitions, Reach is able to do the thought work necessary to create the best organization possible. 

Thanks, as always, for reading.  And don't forget our happy hour event on December 8th!

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Breaking Records

Yesterday was, perhaps, the best day in Reach's young life. A Reach supporter, Karin Johanson, graciously agreed to host a fundraising dinner. After a delicious meal, I was given the opportunity to talk about Reach with those assembled. Generally, I speak for a couple minutes and allow time for a couple questions. Last night, I fielded questions for almost 30 minutes. It was quite an inquisitive group, but I believe I answered their questions adequately. When I walked out the door, I had collected more than $6,000 from the guests. This is, by far, Reach's best fundraising event to date, and it allows us to begin focusing efforts on launching a more substantive fundraising campaign for 2010-2011.  A couple big firsts for Reach:

• This was our first fundraising event to raise more than $5,000.
• This is the first month during which we've raised more than $10,000 (and, in case you're wondering, it's only November 16th).
• We've crossed $35,000 in funds raised.

Building on this exciting momentum, we also sent out information today, via a facebook invitation, for our first bar benefit. On December 8th, we'll have a happy hour event at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. To gain entrance, we ask for a minimum donation of $10 through our event page on Razoo. This rate will be good until December 7th. On the day of the event, a $15 cash donation will be requested. We hope to have more information about drink specials and raffles in the near future! We hope you'll join us. If you have connections to bars, restaurants, or performance venues, and you think you might be able to help secure raffle items, please let us know.

All in all, it's been a very exciting week!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Big Money, Small Money

Sometimes lunch changes the way you think about the world; today was one of those days. This afternoon, I was given the opportunity to attend the annual luncheon for The Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers. The event was an exciting networking opportunity. I enjoyed having the opportunity to meet nonprofit leaders like Deb Gottesman of The Theater Lab School of the Dramatic Arts. Additionally, I was able to introduce myself to some of DC's most active philanthropists, including Richard England of the England Family Foundation. Beyond these networking opportunities, it was wonderful to hear the provoking address given by Dan Pallotta. Dan discussed the constraints placed on the nonprofit world by a simple question: what percentage of my donation goes to the cause? He made a very compelling argument that by discussing "overhead" - and the associated negative connotations - we actually inhibit the nonprofit sector by preventing competitive salaries and investment in infrastructure. He makes a very strong case that we should be considering impact or results, not "efficiency." The fact that we encourage people to ask about organizational efficiency distracts donors from considering the factors that are truly important.

After sitting in a room with DC's philanthropy community, I turned my attention to a smaller income source. Reach is excited to announce that our first DC event will take place on Tuesday, December 8th, on the deck of Cleveland Park Bar & Grill.  While the space holds about 60-70 people, we look forward to cycling through more than a hundred between 6pm and 10pm. We will have a great event up on the heated and enclosed deck, and we look forward to sharing details with you as they become available. 

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

How are we different?

When speaking about Reach's launch efforts, it is imperative that I be able to set Reach apart from the other program's currently working Washington DC. I regularly hear about the work being done by The Higher Achievement Program, Heads Up, Horton's Kids, and For Love of Children.  All four of these programs do good work, but Reach is different, and it's important that we be able to explain why we will provide a unique service in DC's education space.

Reach is unique in four specific ways. First, we will provide high-quality literacy remediation at both the elementary and high school level, whereas most programs focus solely on younger students. Second, our intervention specifically targets those students whose reading abilities fall in the bottom quartile when compared to their peers. Third, our program simultaneously addresses the academic needs of two populations through a single, comprehensive program thereby efficiently using scarce resources. Finally, Reach addresses motivation and capacity through an incentive laden compensation system that will encourage effort and engagement.

While I generally look at these unique aspects of our program as a strength, the current focus in the education world is on replication of proven models. This begets the implied question: why don't you do what is already being done? If we, as a society truly believe that all students deserve a quality education, then we need to provide supports for all our students - even those that have previously failed. Reach's focus on those students that have experienced previous academic failure is a necessary component of a comprehensive approach to producing a literate student body. We owe it to our kids to provide a new kind of program. We look forward to providing a more just academic experience for those students who have previously been failed.

Thanks, as always for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Mixed Signals.

Who to believe? I often find myself going from meeting to meeting. In these encounters with educators, administrators, and funders, I often hear contradictory statements about DC's education scene. A school can be both the best and the worst, depending on who is speaking. Some people love the scrappy upstarts, while others truly believe in the larger, well-branded non-profits. While there is clearly learning to be done from all organizations, it's fascinating to try to develop a filter for all the information I take in on a daily basis. Who should I believe? Can they all be right?

In good news, it's November 5th, and we've really started this month strong. In only five days, we have received our largest individual donation and our largest corporate pledge. We continue to build momentum towards our goals. Can you, or someone you know, help? Join our efforts to help DC's students.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Endings and Beginnings.

While we're still so new, it seems odd that Reach is starting to experience some of our first endings. As we have finally completed all the steps necessary to register Reach with all the necessary authorities, we will no longer need the services of Aryan Moniri and Vijay Singh, our attorneys through Skadden Arps. They assisted us in successfully getting registered and gaining tax exempt status both federally and within DC. The firm agreed to work with Reach for the start up process, so our relationship has now come to an end. I am hugely appreciative of all the work they did. The IRS and DC government are complicated beasts, and they made my life much easier by doing all the necessary fighting.

We also had an exciting beginning today - the start of something good. Those that know me well know that I don't think we've done anything yet. I work hard now, so we will be prepared to make an impact when we begin our work with children. I do this work because of the potential it has to create an impact in the lives of others. I recognize that I won't be totally satisfied with my job until it begins impacting the lives of children. However, a recent article posted on the Harvard Graduate School of Education website apparently allowed me to make a different kind of impact. Below is an excerpt from an energizing e-mail I received today (the name has been removed):

I read about about your organization on the HGSE website. I just wanted to tell you that I am very inspired by you and the organization that you are building. I was a Special Education student and high school dropout, and I eventually ended up in jail by the time I was 17. I truly believe that if I had a program like Reach, Inc. during my adolescent years, things would have turned out differently. I was eventually able to turn my life around and became a Special Education Teacher and a Youth Minister...After reading about your story and the work that you are doing, I have been inspired to do something that I always wanted to do, apply the HGSE. I will be visiting the campus for Diversity Day next Monday and applying to the Risk and Prevention Program. I know getting in will be a long shot, but [I tell youth to follow their dreams] so I have to continue to follow mine...

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Building...

My work falls nicely into three categories: organizational management, fundraising, and program design. I spend my hours either addressing these issues, or learning how I can address them more effectively. This week, we've had exciting events in all three categories.

On Monday, I spent several hours in Kelly Emminger's classroom at King Elementary School in Southeast Washington DC. Recently, with the guidance of Alana McDonough, a classmate from Harvard's Graduate School of Education, I have read several major reports on literacy research and instruction. Visiting Kelly's class was an incredible opportunity to see research put into practice. She is an excellent teacher, and she effectively addresses every aspect of literacy instruction to create a comprehensive literacy program for her students. The students benefit from her instruction every day, but on Monday, I was lucky enough to benefit as well.

I also received word this week that I'll be meeting with Ellen Malcolm, Founder of Emily's List. Ellen has extensive experience raising money for political campaigns, and I think she will be helpful in developing Reach's capacity to form a true coalition of supporters.  She's been incredibly successful.  Specifically, she works for a cause that she feels deep in her soul. I'm hoping she can help me answer the question, "why should I care?" Sometimes it's hard to step back far enough to provide an adequate answer when my work is such a part of me. I really am looking forward to her assistance in addressing this significant issue of organizational development and management.

Finally, Reach received our largest single-year pledge to date last night. Jen and Chris Myers have indicated their plans to donate $3,000 to Reach's launch efforts. Jen is a high school classmate of mine, and her husband, Chris, wears #55 for the Houston Texans. We are hugely appreciative of their generosity as we continue to move closer to our 2009 fundraising goals!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

The Intersection of Research and Practice.

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to speak at a fundraiser thrown by Julie O'Sullivan and Naomi Mezey, two law professors at Georgetown University Law Center. I always enjoy getting to explain Reach. Like most strong ideas, it tends to make sense when people hear the plan. Watching heads nod is always a great reminder that we're onto something good. The first statement made when I finished answering questions from those assembled was the following: "I want you to know that I came here with a number in mind, but after hearing that, I'm giving four times what I thought I would." 

As I continue to learn more and more about the available literacy research, it's been extremely encouraging to see how beautifully our model puts the pieces together. The strength of our model is  most succinctly explained through two major papers - Putting Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (Reading First) and Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy (Reading Next). 

In Reading First, we are taught to focus on the explicit instruction of five major areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. Reading Next outlines nine instructional improvements and six infrastructure improvements necessary for improvements in literacy instruction at the secondary level.

Instructional Improvements: 

1. Direct, explicit comprehension instruction 

2. Effective instructional principles embedded in content 

3. Motivation and self-directed learning 

4. Text-based collaborative learning 

5. Strategic tutoring 

6. Diverse texts 

7. Intensive writing 

8. A technology component 

9. Ongoing formative assessment of students 

Infrastructure Improvements:

10. Extended time for literacy 

11. Professional development 

12. Ongoing summative assessment of students and programs 

13. Teacher teams 

14. Leadership 

15. A comprehensive and coordinated literacy program

The items in bold above are those directly addressed, at this time, through Reach's innovative model. Through this unique, supported tutoring relationship, we are addressing the concrete literacy needs of elementary school students while simultaneously catering to the more social learning style of adolescent learners. Reach truly is a model built from the available research about literacy instruction. The woman who was moved to increase her donation four-fold on Friday night was surely convinced!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

A Moment to Reflect.

I, like others, learn from failures. That certainly doesn't make failing any more enjoyable. Tomorrow, I won't get paid. This will be the first time that this has happened since Reach was founded. Most likely, payroll will just be delayed by a week or so, but that doesn't make it feel any better as an entrepreneur. So, I'm forced to ask a question: how do I do better? And, a connected question, how can I find others that can help me be better?

1) In some ways, I've sacrificed the short-term to develop necessary relationships that will serve Reach in the long-term. In the coming weeks, I'll have to be more creative in the ways that we seek funds. Does your school offer "dress down days" that could benefit Reach? Can we throw some quick bar benefits? Does your company give to charity around the holidays? In my efforts to think about grants, signature events, and major donors, I forgot that I need a stable income as well. To make that happen, I need to be more creative, more strategic, and more willing to explore opportunities for immediate income.

2) I also have to more successfully make people understand the value of this idea. While so many that know me support Reach because of my association with it, it's also important that I make a convincing argument about the concept. Reach is about producing a new generation of Untouchables. We will take those kids that have been failed by the current system and systematically demonstrate their ability to achieve beyond what was previously considered possible. At the 2009 Harvard Educational Enterprise Innovation Competition, one of the judges told me he thought of Reach's model as a form of disruptive innovation. While it was high praise, I think he's right. We will deliver a better product, to a hard-to-reach population, at a lower cost. I must be more convincing.

3) It is absolutely imperative, in this economy, that I convince more donors to become involved. So many feel that their contribution would not be valuable. Did you know that Reach's facebook group now has 352 members? If each non-donor from that group gave $10 today, we would collect over $2,500. That's a huge deal. $10 does matter to Reach. And lots of $10 bills matter even more. How do I get more people to send that $10 to Reach?

Additionally, I've started to get some questions that might be worth tackling on the blog. In the coming weeks, I hope to give a better idea of what this process has really been like for me, how the idea continues to evolve, and where I see Reach going in the future. I have confidence that these small failures will help me to make Reach stronger than ever. I appreciate your well wishes and support as we continue to navigate the start-up journey.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Learning to Write...

On October 30th, Reach will submit its first major grant to The Junior League of Washington. Through this process, I learned an important lesson: I don't know how to write grants. Fortunately, this week, I received the assistance of Sarah Cortes, a talented grant-writer from Eastern University. After receiving some substantive (and somewhat demoralizing) edits, I'm working again to make the proposal as strong as possible, though it's not easy to fit three years of work into five pages.

That being said, I'm tired of writing, so three things of note:

• I changed our tax structure this morning and saved (legally) $200 a quarter.
• I got a phone call this morning from an alumnus of my high school who is willing to sit down with me to talk about Reach. I think this could be helpful in building our DC network.
• We have a cocktail fundraiser on Friday, and given the recent fundraising difficulties, I'm feeling a lot of pressure to make every attendee fall in love with Reach.  

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Things.

1) I need to come up with about $1,500 by Wednesday to make payroll next Friday. I'm pretty confident at this point that it won't happen. I'm okay with this, because...

2) We're positioned well for the months to come.  I have about $3,000 in uncollected pledges. We have a private cocktail party fundraiser next Friday, which I believe will lead to some donations. We also have applications in for funds from two organizations: Charles River Associates and The Build-A-Bear Foundation.

3) We're also in the process of scheduling another private fundraiser (a dinner) and completing applications for funds from The Junior League of Washington and The Crowell & Moring Foundation.

4) Sometimes I get concerned that too much of my time is spent dealing with funding issues.  It's a necessary evil, as I was once told, "good ideas without resources are simply fantasies."  However, when I get concerned that I'm spending too much time fundraising, I need only look at today's to-do list (above). There's plenty of programmatic work on my plate as well.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc. 

What holiday?

DC is asleep today. Since it's a federal holiday, things slow down tremendously. Much of my job involves communication with others, so holidays provide a nice opportunity for me to do some sustained work on my own, without interruptions.

Two interesting firsts this week that I thought I could share on this slow day:

1) This was the first week that I've ever gotten unsolicited offers of help from strangers.  After last week's profile of Harvard's Ed School website, I received a resume from another graduate of Harvard's Graduate School of Education.  He has some experience in teaching literacy to students with learning challenges, which I'm sure will be helpful. Additionally, a complete stranger got in touch with me to offer free literacy curricula that he has developed for use in schools. Both of these were welcome gestures. I will have to think about how to best utilize these generous gestures.

2) The second was a humorous and much appreciated show of concern from a friend's mother (forwarded by my friend):

I was reading the REACH blog. Makes me worried for your friend, Mark. He should not be waking up with chest pains every day. Does he have family or anybody around to help him out? Makes me question whether we should send $ to support REACH or just send him a few Trader Joe's gift cards every so often so that he is sure to eat. 

Those of you that read my last blog post understand the reference.  I have three responses to the post.  First, when I'm anxious, I do feel it physically, maybe more than others, but I'm learning to remind myself to breathe.  Second, donations to Reach are always appreciated! And finally, third, I am not in danger of starving any time soon.

It's fun to see our network grow as all of these people have shown some interest in Reach, Inc., and I've yet to meet any of them!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

** For those of you that are still reading by going to www.reachincorporated.blogspot.com, you should know that this blog is now available on our main website at www.reachincorporated.org/blog.html.

They Told Me So...

I sat in Professor Jim Honan's Financial Management class last spring. I listened to him as he talked to us about cash flow issues.  Part of me thought it was just an issue of planning.  If you didn't have cash on hand, then you hadn't planned very well.  Currently, I find myself happy with our fundraising progress.  We have a couple donors in place.  We have some pledges in the coming months.  We even have a couple of events planned.  I'm confident we'll get to our 2009 goal of $50,000.  But, currently, our bank account is empty.  I'm set for tomorrow, but I have nothing today. I've accepted that I won't get paid on October 23rd unless something magical happens. It turns out that cash flow problems are real.  Professor Honan, I apologize for my cynicism. 

In good news, we got some press.  We've also had some great meetings this week that will help us build a wider base of supporters. Sometimes it's important to look outside the education world to find people that care about education. It's an exciting process, and I'm thrilled with our continued progress, but the daily battles continue.  In many ways, this is like another year of graduate school. 

Honestly, it's all worth it.  I wake up stressed every morning. I experience tightness in my chest on a regular basis.  Sometimes, I need to remind myself to breath. But, in the end, I'm happy with what I'm doing.  What we're doing is necessary and important, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Looking Back at $20,000

As a graduate student planning to start a nonprofit, creating Reach's first budget was somewhat intimidating.  To think about spending $50,000 during 2009, I had to think about raising that money.  Having never done significant development work before, I had no idea how difficult this task would be.  While the current economy presents known challenges, we have still had some success.  During this week, we moved beyond $20,000 in collected funds.  When pledged funds are included, we have raised almost $25,000.  In the coming weeks, we will move past the halfway point to our 2009 goal.  While this is an exciting accomplishment, it also makes clear that there is a long way to go.

Additionally, 2010 bring its own exciting challenges.  As we begin to approach funders about our plans for the future, we have had to complete a budget for 2010.  While 2009 was a year for planning on a shoestring budget, 2010 will involve program launch, the publication of training materials, the purchase of curricular materials, and the hiring of our first contract teachers.  There is a great amount of excitement surrounding all of these firsts, but they also involve significant expenses for Reach, Inc. During 2010, our budget grows to $150,000, which of course means that we will have to raise $150,000.  Despite the intimidation inherent in setting such goals, I know that we'll get there.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

First Grade, Funding, and Friendraising...

I got to go back to first grade this week.  One of my goals for the year is to observe a lot of high quality literacy instruction.  As many of you know, I've always worked with teens, so elementary schools are new to me.  Ms. Sheehy and her first grade class at Hyde Elementary School (not our future pilot site) were very welcoming as I sat in on their Reading Workshop on Tuesday morning.  Each time I spend time in an elementary school classroom, I feel like I learn more about the work our tutors will be doing next year.  I was very appreciative to Ms. Sheehy and Principal Dana Nerenberg for giving me the opportunity to observe.

During the last week, Reach also submitted our first two applications for corporate/foundation funding.  Neither of these were necessarily planned in advance, but the opportunities presented themselves, so we pounced.  In one instance, Raj Darolia recommended that Reach be considered for the corporate giving program at Charles River Associates, his employer.  In the other, Megan Aghazadian let us know about funding available through the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation. In both cases, we were hugely appreciative that these individuals thought of Reach, and we were able to meet the necessary deadlines despite the timing.  In the next month, we have some additional applications to complete as our work to secure funding for both 2009 and 2010 continues.

Finally, we continue to work to build our network in DC and beyond.  On Sunday, I had the opportunity to sit with Laura Kind McKenna, a trustee with the Patricia Kind Family Foundation.  We had the opportunity to speak about both program design and grant seeking.  She was also very helpful in brainstorming about possible connections in the DC area on which I could build.  Additionally, two Georgetown Law professors, Julie O'Sullivan and Naomi Mezey, have teamed up to help Reach as well.  They will be hosting a cocktail party at which I will be given the opportunity to talk about Reach, Inc. with their friends.  We hope to continue building on these connections to create a more complete support base in The District.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Changing Without Drifting

As we continue having discussions about Reach, Inc., it's fascinating to consider how the idea has changed.  The picture regularly becomes clearer even as we remain flexible in defining the concept.  At the start, we used our mission statement to define the program: Reach, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization that will improve literacy skills, across ages, by hiring and training struggling adolescent readers to be tutors in high-need elementary schools in The District of Columbia.  While this does explain the concept, it lacks the specificity to guide implementation.

In conversations with schools, we have gained an understanding of the specific students that would be most appropriate.  It seems that we will be working primarily with 9th grade tutors at launch (with potential to work with some 10th graders as well).  Additionally, due to their preparations for testing, schools seem most interested in our tutors working with 3rd grade students.  By exploring strong literacy research, we have also decided that our adolescent tutors will come from the bottom quartile of the literacy spectrum.  These decisions allow us to speak more concretely about program implementation.

While some aspects of the program design have come into focus, other questions have lead to more confusion.  During some conversations, stakeholders have encouraged Reach to move into schools much faster.  To this point, we continue to feel that launching a pilot program in a single school is the best launch strategy.  Additionally, we have felt pressures to change the program's content to better position ourselves for funding.  In some ways, we constantly redefine our purpose, but our mission remains the same.  

Thank you, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

An Important Milestone...

This has been an exciting week for Reach as our idea has continued to move towards reality.  After our exciting meeting with Hyde Leadership PCS, we also met with the after-school programming manager at DCPS and two program officers at The Herb Block Foundation.  Both meetings were very successful, and it seems that we have started building the relationships necessary to begin work in DC Public and Public Charter Schools in the coming years.  It seems we will be forced to confront the pressure to move faster than planned as we want to perfect the model before trying to implement in multiple schools.

Through our continued networking efforts, we also continue to make important connections throughout the city.  In the coming months, we will be talking with The Urban Alliance, an organization that provides internships and employment for high school students in The District and Baltimore City.  Since Reach will focus on 9th and 10th grade students, it would be nice to develop a relationship with The Urban Alliance as their work focuses on 11th and 12th grade students.  Additionally, we have our first school visit scheduled next week at Hyde Elementary School (a DCPS school unrelated to our future pilot site).  We look forward to continuing to build networks that will allow Reach to grow and learn in the future.

Finally, Reach is very close to crossing our next major fundraising hurdle.  In the coming weeks, we will likely surpass $20,000 in funds raised.  While this is an important milestone in our progress towards our $50,000 goal for 2009, there is still a long way to go.  In this difficult economic climate, you can still help by recruiting new donors and providing Reach with information about possible funding streams.  We can not do this without your help.  As I've heard many times, ideas without resources are simply fantasies.  

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Victory?!

Today, I met with two representatives from Hyde Public Leadership Charter School.  While nothing is official, they gave a preliminary indication that they are willing to be the pilot site for Reach's literacy program.  During the 2010-2011 academic year, we would work with 20-30 Hyde PCS 9th and 10th grade students who would be trained to tutor 20-30 Hyde  PCS elementary school students.  The two individuals I met with today plan on advocating for the program with the principals of the high school and the elementary school.  In a month or two, I will provide them with a more complete idea of our training guide and curriculum.  At that point, we will get the entire administrative team on board, and we hopefully will proceed with the partnership.  This all just became a lot more real.  Game on!

In the know?

For those of you that don't know, I work from my apartment.  Every morning, the alarm goes off, I get ready (Reach's office is business casual), and I sit down at the desk in my living room.  As you can imagine, it's not always easy to find the motivation to get down to work.  All of us are forced, at times, to work despite challenges in our personal lives.  It has been surprising to learn recently that this becomes more difficult when one works alone.  When having a bad day, who would know if I stayed in my pajamas and lounged on the couch? No one.  In recent weeks, this has been a challenge for me, so I've found it necessary to develop routines to ensure that Reach continues moving forward.  We all have personal challenges, but entrepreneurial endeavors allow no room for these challenges to take over.  Reach must keep going, and so must I.

It has, however, been exciting to learn that I can personally draw energy from Reach's successes.  During the past week, we have had two significant - albeit small - events that make me feel like some real progress has been made.  First, Reach was approved for our first foundation grant.  Before we get too excited, it should be noted that the grant is a small, discretionary grant, but it will be nice to be able to add our first foundation, The MB and Edna Zale Foundation, to our list of supporters.  

Additionally, those that read regularly know that much of my work involves talking with educators, nonprofit executives, and funders all over DC.  During a lunch today with Megan Aghazadian of the DC Public Education Fund, we discussed a number of issues related to the DC education scene.  An amazing thing happened during the conversation.  I actually knew what she was talking about!  I knew the people she mentioned and the initiatives she discussed.  I knew of the people she thought I should be talking to, and I had even already met with a couple of them.  While I was actually kind of thrown off, it was a nice feeling to know that I've infiltrated the DC education scene to some degree.  Perhaps I'm no longer the outsider I was a couple months ago.  The conversation with Megan was a great one, and I look forward to learning from her vast knowledge of DC's foundations.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Party Planning

In the ongoing effort to raise money and spread the word about Reach, Inc., I have found myself in multiple conversations this week about planning events. Given our small budget and inability to handle losing money throwing parties, we're starting to explore options for fundraising events. First, some former colleagues have agreed to throw a cocktail party to raise some funds for Reach, Inc. Through this event, we hope to make some money. However, more important, the hope is that this event will cultivate connections and create excitement about our new organization. This private event will likely happen in October, and I will be sure to tell you all how it goes.

In addition to friends helping us, we hope to throw our first public event in the coming months. However, this is not an area in which I have personal expertise. During this week, I spent some time learning from experience event planners about this process. Through donated space and discounted products, it seems that we could have a classy, affordable event that would serve both fundraising and PR purposes. The issue is, of course, that having an event means Reach's only employee will do the planning. This is no small task. In the coming weeks, I will begin putting together a volunteer committee that may be interested in helping. With the help of dedicated volunteers, and some guidance from an overwhelmed founder, we hope to make our first event a success. Here goes nothing!

Thanks, as always, for reading.
Mark
Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

It's Not All About The Money

It feels like a lot of what I do surrounds money, but there are other things going on at Reach, Inc.  We have a number of exciting meetings coming up in the next two weeks.  While I've mentioned some previously, it's proven difficult to actually get my foot in the door as the school year begins.  Next week, I'll have the opportunity to have lunch with Megan Aghazadian of the DC Public Education Fund.  I imagine Megan has extensive knowledge of the DC funding scene, so it will be interesting to pick her brain about the current climate.

In addition to this meeting about funding, we also have some meetings about programmatic aspects of Reach's work.  During the week of September 21st, I have three exciting meetings.  First, I will be meeting with Lisa Lazarus of DCPS.  She focus on creating partnerships with outside providers, so she is an important gatekeeper for our future partnerships with DC Schools.  I have also finally scheduled a meeting with Anne Hedman, COO of Hyde Leadership Public Charter School.  This conversation, which we hope may be the beginning of a pilot program partnership, is huge for Reach.  We hope it goes well.  Finally, I will be meeting with Professor Peter Edelman of Georgetown University Law School.  Professor Edelman has done a lot of policy work around issues of education and poverty.  It's my hope that his different perspective will help us to improve Reach's model further.

While money is always on my mind, I hope you also see that we're making strides in other areas as well.  I'll look forward to telling you about these meetings.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Thirty Minutes Turns Into Three Hours

On Friday, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kevin McDonald of TROSA, an entrepreneurial residential program for people in substance abuse recovery.  In the beginning, Kevin had to convince customers to trust a brand-new moving company run by recovering addicts.  In recent weeks, I also have been dealing with questions about our model.  As it was said by one critic, "so, you want illiterate kids teaching elementary schoolers?"  Kevin and I share a strong belief in the clients we serve, and I was curious how he had dealt with those that doubted TROSA's approach.  While not surprising, Kevin's advice was reassuring.  The best way to silence critics is to create a superior product.  If the clients take pride in their work, the work will speak for itself.

What was supposed to be a thirty minute meeting stretched to almost three hours.  Starting a nonprofit is an intense process (Kevin often talked about his war mindset).  Not surprisingly, he wanted to know why I was doing this work.  His connection to the work is much more clear.  Kevin likes to talk about his time in the "Paris Hilton Hotel," also known as LA County Jail.  He was drinking and smoking at thirteen, moved to harder stuff in his teens, and was soon doing armed robberies to support his habit.  Kevin spent twelve years living and working at Delancey Street, a program similar to TROSA.  For obvious reasons, he never has to explain why he is so dedicated to his work.

In the end, Kevin was convinced that I'm dedicated to this work.  He seemed to think I was a good guy, though those that have met him know he used much more colorful language.  He even offered to write a letter of recommendation if it would be helpful in my dealings with any potential funders.  Overall, it was a great conversation with someone I respect greatly.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Learning to Have Faith

If nothing else, this week has taught me how quickly things can change.  In the last two days, we've collected over $1,000 in new donations.  I can now, without problem, make next week's payroll.  Additionally, we have continued to receive online donations that have given us a strong start for next month.  We will continue to raise money with a sense of urgency to ensure that we avoid future financial crises.

In more interesting and exciting news, I was able to meet this week with Kelly Emminger, a talented first grade teacher from DC's King Elementary School.  Kelly is an exceptional teacher, and she provided me with extremely valuable feedback about the first draft of our Tutor Training Manual.  Specifically, she pushed us to create a more balanced approach that focuses more on comprehension and less on decoding.  With her help, we will certainly be in a better position to effectively train our tutors.

Finally, tomorrow I will have the opportunity to meet with Kevin McDonald, Founder of TROSA.  As I mentioned in a previous post, Kevin is a professional hero of mine.  His work at TROSA has created structures for maintaining high expectations while building capacity to improve the surrounding communities.  Kevin's work with recovering addicts has yielded strong results through an entrepreneurial approach.  I look forward to the conversation.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

The Other Purpose

When I decided to start this blog, the purpose was twofold.  First, I wanted to keep people informed about Reach's progress.  Not only can we share our successes, but we can direct people here to hear our story.  Additionally, it helps me, on a personal level, to answer the question: what do you do on a daily basis?  A question that I get every day.  The second purpose of this blog is to serve as a resource for other entrepreneurs.  What are the challenges?  What do you actually have to do to start up?  What does launching a nonprofit actually look like?  This is something I felt like was sorely lacking in my previous experience and education.  It's that second purpose I'd like to speak to today.  I want to speak to the entrepreneurs.  

Everyone who has considered starting a nonprofit has heard the speech.  It's hard.  It's scary.  There will be days when you want to quit.  Sometimes it's the little things that pile up.  For the first time, I'm facing a really big wall.  Right now, Reach's bank account doesn't have the funds necessary to cover payroll next week.  Beyond the feelings of failure this brings up as an organizational leader, this is obviously scary, for me, on a personal level as well.  These are tough times.  I remain confident in our mission, but I also understand people's concerns about donating to start up ventures.  This fear will stifle innovation.  It's dangerous.

Additionally, the little problems cause bigger problems.  For example, the internet at my apartment was out yesterday.  Given the amount of work that I do online (communicating with donors, researching curricula, scheduling meetings), this was crippling.  It was incredibly frustrating to lose work time during such a high pressure situation.  It's been tough to sleep this week.  It's an incredibly lonely place to be.  There are so many people who have shown interest in Reach's work; however, there is only one person whose life is influenced so dramatically by the ups and downs.  That is the battle of the entrepreneur.  That is the scary part of this work.  I will move forward, and we will succeed.  The work is hard, and the sleepless nights are real.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Super Tuesday!

The start-up process involves significant anxiety about finances.  Every. Single. Day.  Occasionally, something good happens that provides us with some confidence moving forward.  Tuesday was, without doubt, the best day we have had in terms of our long-term financial strength.  As a small organization, it's always important to notice the small victories.  Tuesday brought four significant wins.

1) As mentioned previously, Gibbons P.C. held a "Jeans Day" on Friday, August 21st.  Employees at any of Gibbons' offices could pay $5 for the right to wear jeans.  Despite the fact that it's August, and we likely had many on vacation, Gibbons informed us that $670 was earned for Reach, Inc.  We greatly appreciate their efforts and look forward to collecting those funds.  

2) Also, Whole Foods has a strong community giving program.  We recently applied for one of their 5% days.  During these days, 5% of the store's profits are donated to a chosen charity.  When the store saw our application, they thought we might also be interested in a different form of giving (though this will not influence the decision about the 5% application).  From September through November, Reach, Inc. will be the beneficiary of "Nickels for Nonprofits."  For each reusable bag used, Whole Foods allows the customer to donate 5 cents to one of two charities.  Customers will have two choices, so if you shop at the P St. NW Whole Foods, then please give your nickels to Reach!

3) Additionally, foundation funding is shrinking as we speak.  Many foundations have announced that they will only give to organizations with which they already have a relationship.  Many foundations have also stopped accepting unsolicited proposals.  For a start-up organization, this is a significant issue.  Often, the only way to connect with a foundation is through a shared friend.  Through the help of Arash Jahanian, a friend of Reach, we have received our first invitation.  This fall, when Crowell & Moring send out their invitations to apply for grants, Reach, Inc. will be on the list.

4) Finally, the last post included an explanation of giving circles.  While young people often feel they can not create a significant impact with their dollars, combining forces in a giving circle provides an avenue for achieving a more significant impact.  On Tuesday, we started our first conversations with a representative interested in taking on this challenge.  Through Kate Sommers, a Reach friend, we are working to create a giving circle of alumni from Camp Geneva Glen.  Working with Kate, we hope to recruit many small donors.  In doing so, the group will be recognized collectively.  Reach, Inc. has recently created The Founder's Circle for those making donations of $1,000 or more.  We hope that, working with Kate, this group of Geneva Glen Alumni can enter the circle.

There are so many ways you can help Reach become a reality.  Please let us know if you're interested in being part of this exciting launch process!

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Raising Funds and Raising Friends

As I continue discussing Reach around The District of Columbia, I have been given the opportunity to learn about all the exciting work going on in this city.  In the coming weeks, I hope to have the opportunity to meet with the Founder and Executive Director of A Wider Circle.  He started this organization, and I imagine he will have much to teach me regarding the start-up process.  Additionally, through a friend of Reach, Inc., we may have the opportunity to learn about Community Wealth Ventures and The Points of Light Foundation from individuals that either are or were involved in these organizations.  It will be exciting to look at ways to create partnerships that may lead to a stronger base of financial support.

Additionally, this week, Reach, Inc. benefitted from our first corporate partnership.  Friday, August 21st, was "Jeans Day" at all of Gibbons Law's offices all over the east coast.  Employees are given the opportunity to wear jeans if they donate $5 to the chosen charity.  This month, that charity was Reach, Inc.  Last month, the beneficiary received $725, so we eagerly await word about the results of this month's fundraiser.

Finally, at a wedding this weekend, I learned of a fundraising technique that we might be able to utilize during these tough economic times.  Many are struggling right now, and they often feel that they can not afford to support charities as much as they might have previously.  One way to make an impact with funds is to create a giving circle.  You can create a larger impact by recruiting other donors for an important cause.  While you, individually, may only be able to give $25, imagine if you recruited 39 others to do the same.  Then your entire giving circle, recognized as a collective, will be recognized for providing a gift of $1,000.  If interested in receiving support to create a giving circle, please contact me at mark@reachincorporated.org.

Of special note today is our new website.  Thanks to the hard work of Brian Hecker, Reach's website has been redesigned.  This new professional look will allow Reach, Inc. to effectively represent our plans and goals to those that become interested moving forward.  You can now read the blog on the organization's main site, and please check the website often to learn about the latest news about Reach's progress.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Online Presence and Online Gifts

In an exciting step for Reach, Inc., we have officially been placed on Razoo, an online donation website.  Unlike other online donation platforms, Razoo does not take a cut from the donations made, so Reach gets every cent!  Now is the time to provide support to Reach, Inc.  It's never been easier.  Every dollar - even a single one - helps.  Additionally, at a recent happy hour event, I learned about Global Giving, another platform for marketing and fund raising.  We continue to explore ways to get the name out there in any way possible.

Also, I was interviewed this morning by the Communications Department at Harvard's Graduate School of Education.  In the coming weeks, they plan to do a short feature about the work that I have done since graduation.  This story will be placed on the website and in the monthly newsletter, which I was told has a circulation of over 5,000.  You never know who might read the feature, so hopefully this could lead to funding and/or connections.

Finally, I had a very productive meeting with Lynsey Jeffries of Higher Achievement.  Lynsey helped us with an important connection while also providing some great ideas.  More than anything, she explained the value of relationships.  During a time when endless meetings sometimes seem fruitless, it was great to get reassurance that these relationships are important for the future of the organization.  

Donate!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

On a Learning Mission

First of all, the technical issues with the website should be fixed at this point.  I had to restart my computer, but it appears to be working correctly now.  We apologize to anyone who had any issues accessing information. We also thank Brian Hecker for his work updating the site's content.

Over the weekend, I was able to make some connections to fascinating nonprofits.  I have no doubt I have a lot to learn from each of these groups.  I look forward to learning from Sheeba Jacob, Assistant Program Director at Facing the Future.  They use globally relevant issues to make education more engaging.  As we design curricula, their experience will be hugely valuable.  Additionally, friends of Reach, Inc. have made connections to two other non-profits.  We look forward to connecting with Hands On DC and Free Minds Book Club.  These two organizations do good work in DC, and we look forward to learning.

Today, I will be meeting with Lynsey Jeffries of The Higher Achievement Program.  Ms. Jeffries has experience in nonprofit fund raising, and she understands well the DC education scene.  Additionally, I will be heading to a happy hour tomorrow night for the Young NonProfit Professionals Network.  I recently joined this organization as an effort to meet other non-profit executives in the area.  Finally, I recently learned about The NonProfit Times.  I look forward to using this new resource to learn more about nonprofit administration.

Also, I have just started reading Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men.  Beyond my general interest in the book, I hope to meet with its author in the coming weeks.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Problems and Progress

First of all, some of you have mentioned some issues related to our website.  We are aware of them.  As far as I can tell, the site is working in Safari, but is experiencing some problems in Firefox.  I don't know, at this point, about Internet Explorer.  We are working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

I spent some time this week at The Foundation Center researching which Foundations seem to align with our mission.  At this point, we have identified three foundations with which we will aim to develop a relationship in the coming months.  We have sent an introductory letter, and we hope to hear back soon about starting the discussion.  Education and literacy are priorities for all three of the following foundations: The Junior League of Washington, The Hattie M. Strong Foundation, and The Herb Block Foundation.

During this week, we also finished some important programmatic materials.  While they will continue to evolve, we have rough drafts completed of our Tutor Training Guide, a Business Plan, and a One-Page Concept Summary.  These materials have been sent out to some experts in the field, and we hope to get some good feedback about how to make them even stronger.

Finally, we continue to explore opportunities to have discussions with high net worth individuals.  If you know of any individuals, with an interest in education,  that have the capacity to give major gifts, please don't hesitate to make a connection so we can explore the possibility of a funding relationship.  These introductions can play a major role in the launch process.  Please contact me at mark@reachincorporated.org if you have ideas for funding opportunities.

Thank you, as always, for reading,

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Press, Payments, and Porter!

This week is off to a great start as we received word today that our Guidestar listing has been approved.  We should be listed on the site in the next couple days.  For those of you that don't know, Guidestar is a clearing house where you can find information on nonprofit organizations.  You can check out their financials so you know whether or not you are donating money to strong organizations.  In the coming years (after we file tax returns), you will be able to find our annual reports, income statements, and even my salary information.  This is especially exciting, because it should give us access to Razoo, a free online donation platform, in the coming weeks.  I know you have been waiting to make secure, online donations.  We should be able to make that happen very soon.  This online donation system is very timely as we could really use a new wave of donations.

In other news, the term "tax-exempt" is a crock.  For those in the nonprofit world, you already know that tax exempt doesn't impact payroll taxes.  The government still takes that big chunk of your paycheck.  However, there's a significant psychological difference when you actually are the one that has to write that monthly check to the government.  In my previous jobs, it just disappeared.  Now I actually have to make those payments!  AND, my exempt status doesn't protect Reach, Inc. from social security or unemployment insurance taxes either.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure what I'm actually exempt from at this point.

Finally, two nice pieces of news for the program.  First, although small, Reach, Inc. got another mention in the press.  I have been trying to place Reach, Inc. wherever I can, so there is currently a blurb about the organization in this month's newsletter for the UNC School of Social Work.  You can find it in the "Alumni Update" section.  Additionally, we received word this week that Porter Mason, a talented cartoonist, is going to provide some drawings for our Tutor Training Manual, and he has agreed to do it free of charge.  We really appreciate Porter's willingness to work with us on this project.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President

Reach, Inc.

Creating Partnerships

One of the interesting transitions we're currently experiencing is the move from focusing on direct support to a focus on partnerships with corporations and foundations.  This week, I started reaching out to some business partners that might be interested in working with Reach, Inc.  First, I gave a proposal to Frank Hughes, owner of Ireland's Four Fields, an Irish Pub in Cleveland Park.  Frank is excited about the idea of helping us host a fundraiser, so we're working to figure out the terms and the time.  Hopefully this will be our first event in the DC area.  It's an exciting time, and I hope we'll be able to make some money while spreading the word about Reach.  We also hope to capitalize on some Board connections to hold an event at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill at some point this fall.  This is one way we hope to use DC's youthful energy to make some money for Reach, Inc.

By the end of this week, we should also have completed the Business Plan while also having a rough draft of the Tutor Training Manual.  This is important as we begin approaching foundations for support.  Additionally, we hope to have our first meeting with Hyde DC during the next week to discuss the possibility of a pilot program.

Finally, during the last week, we gained a new donor in Seth Weitberg, one of the members of Second City's hit show, Barack Stars.  As Seth continues making progress in his comedy career, we imagine that he will be able to give huge sums of money once his career takes off.  Additionally, I was able to make some good connections at the camp I volunteered at last weekend.  You can read more about the camp in this week's Washington Times.  We continue to explore all avenues for networking, and we look forward to exploring these avenues for encouraging Reach's growth.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

The Next Level

To do the actual work, the money is necessary.  Many nonprofit leaders complain about the amount of time they spend fundraising.  While I don't mind the hours, it is legitimately shocking to realize how much of your time is spent chasing money.  Given our size, one way to address this is to begin seeking larger gifts that could allow for more time spent on programming by providing some financial security.  I have been exploring these possibilities in two distinct ways.  First, I have been trying to identify organizations with matching programs so that I can target those that work there, thereby doubling the impact of each donation.  Additionally, we have started creating a list of corporations, where we have connections, that might be willing to provide funding to Reach, Inc.  While corporate giving seems to take longer due to necessary relationship building, we hope that it will pay big dividends.  In the coming weeks, we have identified two organizations where we hope to build relationships, Federal Realty Investment Trust and CB Richard Ellis.  Building on connections we have to both organizations, we hope to be considered as a possible beneficiary for the companies' corporate giving programs.

Last week, we also began seeing, firsthand, why fundraising is so important.  We made payroll, without problem, but also got our first report indicating the taxes we owe to DC and the Federal Government.  On a monthly basis, we will have to pay the taxes withheld from paychecks, while adding the additional taxes for which employers are responsible.  Yikes!  The money certainly leaves us more easily than it comes.  

In closing, there are two other happenings of note.  First, Reach, Inc.'s facebook group is quickly approaching 300.  Who will be the 300th facebook fan?  Will it be you?  Additionally, it looks like we will be starting the conversation with Hyde-DC next week about the possibility of partnering to launch Reach, Inc.'s pilot program.  It will be exciting to find out whether it could be a good fit for our launch efforts.  We look forward to the beginning of the conversation.

My apologies for missing the usual Monday post.  I spent the weekend working at Camp Forget-Me-Not through Washington DC's Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, and I spent yesterday recovering.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark 

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Diving Right In.

One of the interesting results of getting our 501(c)(3) so far ahead of schedule was the fact that we had been spending time figuring out methods to fundraise without our tax-exempt status.  We had done little preparation for approaching foundations and corporate sponsors as we thought those meetings to be months away.  However, due to the amazing efficiency of the Internal Revenue Service (yes, I did just say that), we are ready to get rolling.  This week has been about fundraising planning.

In May, Reach, Inc. was awarded first prize in Harvard's Educational Enterprise Innovation Competition.  As a result, we were given some free consulting hours with Andrea McGrath, Director of the Center for Applied Philanthropy.  During a conversation with Andrea this week, we discussed what materials Reach, Inc. would need in order to approach potential funders.  We have decided, for the time being, to focus on a crisp one-pager detailing the program and a more fully developed business plan.  In the coming weeks, we will be focused on producing those materials so that we can effectively present this innovative design to interested parties.

Additionally, I have been thinking about how to reframe our fundraising goals.  Now that our fiscal year is legally defined as January 1 to December 31, our numbers need to be shifted a little bit.  The year 1 fundraising goal of $100,000 was meant to be for June 2009 - June 2010.  While some work still needs to be done, it seems that our goals must now be lined up by fiscal year.  There is still work to be done, but initial numbers for our new fundraising goals follow:

• 2009: $50,000, Planning, Networking, and Fundraising.
• 2010: $200,000, Program Development and Pilot Program Launch.
• 2011: $400,000, Program Expansion and Evaluation.

Finally, next week, while continuing to pursue all available funding leads, we will also continue exploring some areas for programmatic learning.  During the week, I will be meeting with Lynsey Jeffries of Higher Achievement, a program that provides tutoring to students through middle school.  I know she will have much to teach me about effectively partnering with DC Public Schools.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

Mark 

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.